When you have been turning out new music for nigh on six decades, whether performing solo, in seminal ensembles, exciting collaborations or with esteemed accompanists, the back catalogue can sometimes become underappreciated or in Christy’s case, even hard to find. Christy Moore has lived several music lives at this stage, an odyssey that has led as down as many backroads as it has the motorways to mainstream fame and success, and it seems like on every aberration off the beaten track Christy has dropped gold. As one of those rare artists who has somehow managed to remain relevant and socially pertinent to this day, you could forgive Christy for forgetting where he buried the treasure. In the archives of Christy Moore’s history, beyond the multi-platinum albums and the big songs that have sound-tracked a society, lay many dormant gems on dusty discs in lonely libraries. It was time to go looking for them, to piece back the puzzle, to celebrate and appreciate those moments once again. Here, on this first ever comprehensive retrospective of Christy’s early works, we find a selection of songs from Christy’s run of albums and live TV appearances from 1969 to 1981. Many of these tracks have only ever been available on long-lost vinyl pressings or in the case of the RTÉ and BBC performances, they have, until now, remained unreleased.
“This Early Years project has uncovered songs and recordings long since forgotten. Some tracks are rough and ready just as my life was back then, most bring back good memories of nights long gone, of songs long since sung. I am happy that these early works have been remastered, given a fresh context and a new lease of life. Thanks for listening”. Christy Moore, Dublin, August 2020
Track Listing:
1. Home By Bearna
2. Lanigan’s Ball
3. Limerick Rake
4. Johnny Jump Up
5. Tippin’ It Up To Nancy
6. Rambling Robin
7. Little Musgrave
8. Nancy Spain
9. Black Is The Colour Of My True Love’s Hair (Live In Dublin, 1978)
10. Wave Up To The Shore
11. What Put The Blood?
12. John O’Dreams
13. Trip To Jerusalem / Two Reels: The Mullingar Races; The Crooked Road
14. Sacco & Vanzetti
15. The Ballad Of Tim Evans
16. I Wish I Was In England
17. Joe McCann
18. Hey Sandy (Live In Dublin, 1978)
19. The Crack Was Ninety In The Isle Of Man (Live In Dublin, 1978)
20. The Cliffs Of Dooneen
21. One Last Cold Kiss; Trip To Roscoff
22. The Raggle Taggle Gypsy; Tabhair Dom Do Lámh
23. The Moving-On-Song (Go! Move! Shift!)
24. Spancilhill
25. The Foxy Devil
26. Clyde’s Bonnie Banks (Live In Dublin, 1978)
27. January Man
28. The Sun Is Burning
29. House Down In Carne (The Ballad Of Nuke Power)
30. 90 Miles To Dublin
31. The Dark Eyed Sailor
32. Boys Of Mullabawn
33. Bogey’s Bonnie Belle (Live In Dublin, 1978)
34. Galtee Mountain Boy
35. Dalesman’s Litany
36. Cricklewood
37. The Ballad Of James Larkin
38. Paddy On The Road
39. The Raggle Taggle Gypsy (Live At The Abbey Tavern, 1980, RTÉ)
40. The Moving-On-Song (Go! Move! Shift!) (Live At The Abbey Tavern, 1980, RTÉ)
41. The Pages That I Read Make Me Sadder (Live At The Abbey Tavern, 1980, RTÉ)
42. The Dark Eyed Sailor (Live At The Abbey Tavern, 1980, RTÉ)
43. The Ballad Of Tim Evans (Live At The Abbey Tavern, 1980, RTÉ)
44. 1913 Massacre (Live At The Abbey Tavern, 1980, RTÉ)
45. The Sun Is Burning (Live At The Abbey Tavern, 1980, RTÉ)
46. Saint Patrick Was A Gentleman (Live At The Abbey Tavern, 1980, RTÉ)
47. House Down In Carne (The Ballad Of Nuke Power) (Live At The Abbey Tavern, 1980, RTÉ)
48. I Wish I Was In England (Live At The Abbey Tavern, 1980, RTÉ)
49. Wave Up To The Shore (Live On Aisling Gheal, 1979, RTÉ)
50. One Last Cold Kiss (Live On Aisling Gheal, 1979, RTÉ)
51. Galtee Mountain Boy (Live On Aisling Gheal, 1979, RTÉ)
52. Lanigan’s Ball (Live On Aisling Gheal, 1979, RTÉ)
53. January Man (Live On Aisling Gheal, 1979, RTÉ)
54. Trip To Jerusalem (Live At Adare Manor, 1981, RTÉ)
55. John O’Dreams (Live At Adare Manor, 1981, RTÉ)
56. Bogey’s Bonnie Belle (BBC Live Session from ‘As I Roved Out’, 1979)
57. Deportee (Plane Wreck At Los Gatos) (BBC Live Session from ‘As I Roved Out’, 1979)
58. Cricklewood (BBC Live Session from ‘As I Roved Out’, 1979)
59. The Workers Are Being Used Again (Live On ‘The Late Late Show’, 1979, RTÉ)
60. Avondale (Live On ‘Ballad Sheet’, 1969, RTÉ)
61. The Ballad Of James Larkin (Live On ‘Ballad Sheet’, 1969, RTÉ)
